Steorn

Steorn Ltd.
Company typePrivate Limited
IndustryEnergy technology[1]
Founded2000
Defunct2016
FateLiquidated
HeadquartersDocklands Innovation Park, East Wall Road, Dublin 3, Ireland
ProductsCharging and power systems, cellular telephones, research and development[1]
Revenue€1,000 (2005)[2]
€ -1,794,648 (2005)[2]
Number of employees
18[3]
Websitewww.steorn.com Archive link as of March 2015

Steorn Ltd (/ˈstjɔːrn/) was a small, private technology development company based in Dublin, Ireland. In August 2006, it announced that it had developed a technology to provide "free, clean, and constant energy" via an apparent perpetual motion machine, something which is contrary to the law of conservation of energy, a fundamental principle of physics.[4]

Steorn challenged the scientific community to investigate its claim[5] and, in December 2006, said that it had chosen a jury of scientists to do so.[6] In June 2009 the jury gave its unanimous verdict that Steorn had not demonstrated the production of energy.[7]

Steorn gave two public demonstrations of its technology. In the first demonstration, in July 2007 at the Kinetica Museum in London, the device failed to work.[8] The second demonstration, which ran from December 2009 to February 2010 at the Waterways Visitor Centre in Dublin, involved a motor powered by a battery and provided no independent evidence that excess energy was being generated.[9] It was dismissed by the press as an attempt to build a perpetual motion machine,[10] and a publicity stunt.[11]

In November 2016, the company laid off its staff, closed its facility, and prepared for liquidation.[12][13] It was finally liquidated in May 2024.[14]

  1. ^ a b Orbo – The Battery Is Dead – Orbo technology – the battery is dead
  2. ^ a b "Steorn Investor Relations". Steorn Ltd. 9 February 2006. Retrieved 11 September 2007.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference IEpost060521 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference theage was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference econ-ad was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference jury-selection was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference irish-times-24062009 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference BTJuly2007 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference ZDNews151209 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Goldacre, Ben (7 July 2007). "Perpetual motion goes into reverse". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 June 2013.
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference houston was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ Whyte, Barry (13 November 2016). "Power Off: Steorn finally out of energy after €23 million in funding". The Sunday Business Post. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
  13. ^ Ferrier, Michael (13 November 2016). "Steorn Liquidates". dispatchesfromthefuture.com. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
  14. ^ Mulligan, John (13 May 2024). "Irish Business Steorn finally goes supernova as company that promised 'free energy' completes liquidation process". Irish Independent. Retrieved 14 May 2024.